Wristband unlocks your devices with your heartbeat

Trying to remember the multiple passwords we need for every device, website and service is an almost impossible task. But you could soon use something rather more personal to prove your identity: your own heartbeat.

A wristband called Nymi, developed by Toronto-based company Bionym, confirms the wearer's identity through electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors that monitor the heartbeat, and then communicate that authentication to your devices ranging from iPads to cars.

We've known since the 1960s that the peaks and troughs in an individual's heartbeat form a unique pattern, because of differences in the heart's position, shape and size. This means it can be used to identify a person – and is harder to spoof than biometric systems that rely upon external features such as fingerprints, irises or facial patterns, says Karl Martin, Bionym's CEO.

Wearing the Nymi wristband, a user registers their identity by touching a sensor embedded in the top of the band with the opposite hand for about 2 minutes while the Nymi captures an ECG signature. Once stored, it will recognise only this unique biometric template.

To access a device, you touch the top of the Nymi for several seconds, while another sensor in the band is in contact with your wrist. Once authenticated, the Nymi then communicates via Bluetooth to an app running on the device. Gestures, such as a wave, or flex of the wrist, correspond with different commands for certain devices, such as unlocking the driver versus the passenger door in a car. When you remove the Nymi, devices linked to it will automatically lock.

"Having a single biometric trait unlocking multiple devices based on recognising an individual is a fascinating application and can be used in so many different scenarios, as long as the biometric trait being used to unlock is reliable," says Arun Ross at Michigan State University.

Bionym claims it has initial performance data, which it will release later this year, showing that its ECG system outperformed face recognition technologies, but that ECG was still not as accurate as the very top-of-the-line fingerprint systems. But for those concerned about identity theft, Martin points out that a three-tier system protects them: a person would have to steal the Nymi, replicate a user's unique heart rhythm and have access to their device. "In practical situations, the false positive rate of the system is effectively zero," he says.

If a user is stressed or exercises, the band should continue to function, Martin says. Although if you had just run a marathon, then immediately put the band on, the Nymi may struggle for a few minutes to get an accurate reading, he admits. "The system tolerates regular variation. It doesn't require your heartbeat to be exactly the same every time."

The Nymi will cost less than $100. Pre-orders begin on 4 September, with shipments planned for early 2014. The first units will unlock iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OS X devices, and will vibrate to alert you to email or social media messages that appear on a small LED screen. Developers interested in exploring their own ideas for the Nymi will have access to pre-production units in December.

Ross is excited by its possibilities but is reserving judgement until the test figures are released. "The accuracy for false matches and non-matches rates, those are numbers that have to be provided in order for us to make a stronger statement as to its feasibility."

This article will appear in print under the headline "Open up your heart"

Bodily biometrics

Our bodies are troves of potentially useful biometric data. Most biometric technologies focus on the obvious – fingerprints, irises, faces – and Apple's newest iPhone is expected to include some form of fingerprint recognition. But some ventures are exploring more visceral signatures.

In 2006 body odour was studied as a potential biometric but a person's smell changes throughout the day and could be scrambled by perfumes or lotions. Saliva seems to be tailored to the individual level, although the practicality of licking electronics remains questionable.

The Nymi wristband (see main story), which uses heartbeat as a biometric, may one day incorporate a person's gait.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.